What Causes Cracks In Drywall Seams

This article describes the common causes of all types of cracks that appear in drywall or gypsum board or plasterboard walls ceilings in building interiors.

What causes cracks in drywall seams.

These joint areas are weaker than in the center or field area of the drywall therefore some cracks may occur at these joints. Most drywall cracks occur on the seams where two pieces of drywall meet. Additionally drywall cracks are often found where two pieces of drywall are butted together. Cracks in the ceiling can be cosmetic or indicative of a serious structural problem.

Usually the seams are invisible due to the use of drywall mud and tape. Illustrations show where cracks are most likely to appear explain why and suggest both repair approaches to drywall cracks and how to prevent cracking in plasterboard or gypsum board. Cracks that appear at the side of drywall joint tape used when mudding the joints between two pieces of drywall are often the result of two little joint compound being applied when taping and mudding the joints. Here s how to determine the cause of your ceiling cracks and fix them.

The long edge is 19 long. If the crack is on a vertical or horizontal seam carefully widen the crack with the corner of a paint scraper utility knife or chisel to determine if the crack extends completely through the paper that is covering the seam image 1. Drywall cracks in ceilings or walls. Straight cracks at taping joints.

When a crack appears it is usually on a seam where two drywall sheets meet and it is easily fixed. I installed the drywall in 2007 and the crack first appeared about 4 years ago. This occurs because there is a joint which gets drywall taped and then layered with two or three coats of drywall mud. Some drywall mud has more adhering ability and should be used when taping drywall whereas other types of drywall mud should only be used in finishing.

Usually the crack will be very straight because it is at the edge of the tape. The back to front dimension is 30 which means there are over 7 sheets of drywall. Temperature fluctuations can cause the drywall to expand and contract creating stress that cracks the seams. We have a crack at the long edge seam of the drywall in the ceiling.

The mud fills in the seam and the tape covers it up. One reason drywall cracks is because the wrong type of drywall mud was used when taping the seams. Most drywall cracks occur on the seams where two pieces of drywall meet. Some drywall mud products are intended only for second or third coats.